Portable lighting devices, such as flashlights and lanterns, have long been known and find use in a wide variety of applications. A conventional flashlight includes a body or casing containing a battery and a power switch, a lamp assembly including a bulb, reflector, lens and bezel mounted on the upper end of the casing and an end cap mounted or formed on the lower end of the casing. A lantern is essentially a large flashlight that employs a reflector of approximately three or more inches in diameter and a body or case that is larger than a standard flashlight case. The larger case of the lantern accommodates a larger battery and, in some instances, electronics for additional features.
Rechargeable versions of both flashlights and lanterns have been developed. Such flashlights and lanterns typically feature batteries that are recharged when a charger is connected to the flashlight or lantern. Alternatively, the flashlight or lantern may be placed in a charging rack or bracket. While a variety of battery types have been used in rechargeable flashlights and lanterns, Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are preferable for many applications where weight is a concern because they have a higher energy-to-weight ratio then any other commercially available rechargeable battery. Care has to be taken, however, that only compatible chargers are used to recharge Li-ion batteries. It is therefore desirable to provide a charging rack that only accepts a compatible rechargeable flashlight or lantern. In addition, it is desirable to provide a Li-ion battery flashlight or lantern that features a lightweight design and construction to aid in further reducing the weight of the device.
In order to provide increased flexibility, both flashlights and lanterns that feature pivoting lamp assemblies have been developed. Examples of such flashlights and lanterns include the flashlight of U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,394 to Chen and the Big D Rechargeable 3850 lantern offered by Pelican Products, Inc. of Torrance, Calif. Such flashlights and lanterns include pivot joints where the pivoting lamp assemblies join the casing that contains the batteries and power switch. These pivot joints may break or suffer wear which may make the flashlights or lanterns unusable. It is therefore desirable to provide a flashlight or lantern where the pivot joints may be replaced so that the service life of the device may be extended.
Flashlights and lanterns are often used by firefighters and other emergency personnel. Flashlights and lanterns used by emergency personnel must be able to withstand the severe conditions and abuses that arise when responding to emergency situations. As a result, it is, very important that such flashlights and lanterns are provided with a durable construction. Examples of lanterns developed for use by emergency personnel and in other harsh environments are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,767 to Osiecki et, al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,744 to Sharrah. A disadvantage of these lanterns, however, is that they do not feature pivoting lamp assemblies.
In addition, often times firefighters and other emergency personnel are trained to use a lantern as a support when crawling through a passageway having a restricted height. Firefighters also often slide lanterns through passageways or across other surfaces during use. As a result, the bases of the lanterns are subjected to significant abuse and wear. It is therefore desirable to provide a lantern that features a replaceable base so as to extend the service life of the device. The lanterns of the Osiecki et al. '767 patent and the Sharrah '744 patent, and other lanterns and flashlights in the prior art, do not offer such a replaceable base.